Book review: Gunslinger by Cynthia Breeding

Blurb: 

Ex con-artist Abigail Clayton Sayer arrives in San Francisco as a mail-order bride, ready to make a fresh start. Putting her criminal life on the streets of New York behind her is what she intends—and marrying Mr. Travis Sayer was the answer to her prayers—until she learns he has been murdered by a fast gun!

Gunslinger Luke Cameron hadn’t meant to kill Sayer, but he couldn’t let the store owner drag a prostitute down the street by her hair. He’d only meant to wound Sayer, but someone had jostled Luke’s arm as he’d pulled the trigger. Now, here was Mrs. Travis Sayer, the married-by-proxy widow of the man he’d killed, newly arrived in San Francisco and wondering which end was up.

Or was she? Could it be that beautiful Abigail Clayton Sayer is already involved in her dead husband’s illegal activities—his partner in crime? Luke intends to find out—Even if it means exposing Abigail and her brother as the con-artists they were before they came to California—and losing her for good.

Someone else wants Abigail dead, but why? In a race against time, Luke must discover the truth about Travis Sayer’s business dealings and why someone is trying to murder his widow. Her only chance of survival now is to depend on the man who killed her husband…the GUNSLINGER.

My Review:

This was a fun twist on the usual gunslinger stories. Mixing a bit of insta-connection/attraction with slow burn, and a bit of mystery with intrigue, the Gunslinger provides a light-hearted but attention grabbing story.

I enjoyed getting to be in both Luke and Abigail's heads at they tried to figure the other out, keep secrets hidden, fight their attraction, and find their new place in life. Luke, while having a pretty tragic event in his past, didn't seem overly wounded or hardened (which is what you kinda expect for a gunslinger, or maybe what I've been conditioned to expect) - in fact, he proved himself to be quite put together and teasingly charming. I loved the moments where his protective instincts overflowed and he didn't back down - and the other moments where he refused to give in and kept pursuing what he (and Abigail) needed. Abigail was endearing in her street-smarts, her determination to leave her past and turn over a new leaf, and her sweet (but at times surprisingly confident) innocence despite her past. There was a moment of deja vu in the story, and I loved how the actions played out organically provided the confirmation Luke and Abigail needed in their relationship.

If you're looking for a easy to read story that provides some spice and mystery with a sweet love story, this would work!

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